Chương 76: Traces

"Lord Graveblade's Sword Token?" Oswin's voice wasn't loud. Sera sat beside a wooden crate. Elaine had just finished applying another layer of medicine to the wound on her leg. Hearing the question. Sera lowered her eyes toward the gray token lying beside her.

"Yeah." Oswin didn't speak immediately. A fracture ran through almost the entire surface of the token. The armament patterns that had once been hidden within had gone completely dark. Not even the faintest mana fluctuation remained. Elaine stood up. She packed away the remaining medicine.

"If you two want to talk about the Sword Token, do it later." She had already walked over to Velesa's stretcher. The elf inside the transparent water shell remained completely motionless.

"Figure out what you're going to do about this first." Oswin followed her.

"How much longer can it hold?"

"No idea." Elaine answered without hesitation. Oswin frowned.

"Isn't it still stable right now?"

"Right now is right now." Elaine walked to the long table. Her palm hovered close to the surface of the water shell.

"I've never seen anything like this."

"I don't know when the power inside will run out either."

"If you actually want to save her, don't gamble her life just to find out how long it lasts." Oswin fell silent for a while. The outer ring was still filled with the sounds of people moving cargo. The goods the caravan had unloaded were piled everywhere. Several workers were reorganizing crates that had been opened. Kane sat beside a wooden post. The bandage over the place where his ear had been severed had just been replaced. Talia remained beside Velesa. She hadn't left once.

Oswin raised his head and looked at the sky, now completely dark.

"We leave tomorrow morning." A caravan guard nearby froze.

"Captain?"

"The original plan is canceled." Oswin's voice returned to its usual calm.

"We leave at daybreak."

"We head straight for Chaos City." Elaine glanced at him.

"You know someone there?"

"Yes." Oswin nodded.

"As long as she lasts that long." The caravan, which had originally planned to remain at Antler Camp, immediately became active again. The innermost covered wagon was emptied. Several workers who had only just unloaded cargo began carrying it back. Wooden crates were tied down again. Rolls of beast hide were stuffed beneath other wagons. Someone crouched beside a wagon to inspect the axle. Others dragged out feed early and gave an extra meal to several pack beasts that had already become visibly restless.

The smell of blood still hadn't completely faded. Several pack beasts kept tossing their heads. The Beast-kin guards responsible for them had to remain nearby, constantly calming them down. The outer ring soon became even more chaotic than before. Rowan sat to one side. Looking down at the scrapes along his arm. A small packet of medicine suddenly landed on his lap. He raised his head. Elaine had already turned away.

"Use more."

"Saving it won't earn you any money." This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Rowan opened the packet and looked inside. It was meant for treating scrapes. It looked like some kind of green sauce. After applying the medicine, Rowan casually picked up the Tendon-Cord Crossbow beside him. He had borrowed it from the camp before leaving. He had originally planned to return it directly to the material shed.

But the moment he reached the entrance, he realized it was even busier inside than outside. Taun was working with two others to put scattered equipment back onto the shelves. Rowan held out the Tendon-Cord Crossbow.

"Yours." Taun was carrying a wooden crate with both hands and didn't take it.

"Keep it with you for now."

"You're not taking it back?"

"Tomorrow." Taun shoved the crate onto the bottom shelf.

"This place is chaotic enough tonight." Before long. Someone from the camp brought over a bowl of still-hot stew. They placed it beside Rowan.

"Try our camp specialty. Antler Stew." The man winked at Rowan before going back to helping with dinner. Rowan paused. He looked down. Then picked up the spoon and took a bite. The meat had been stewed until extremely tender. There was a little too much salt. But a faint spicy aroma lingered in the broth, suppressing the remaining gaminess of the mana-beast meat. Rowan took another spoonful. Overall, it was pretty good. By the time Elaine finally finished treating Sera's wound. Rowan had almost emptied the bowl.

He placed the empty bowl beside him. His gaze soon shifted toward the other end of the outer ring. The severed forelimb of the Rock-Marrow Dire Bear was still there. The enormous wound had already clotted over. Part of the outer rock armor was broken. Even though it was only a single limb. It still stood out more than the entire bodies of ordinary mana-beasts. Rowan walked over. Sera had just lowered her leg.

"How are we splitting the bear arm?" Sera looked at him.

"You're already thinking about that?"

"I almost died." Rowan said:"Can't have been for nothing." Sera didn't argue. She looked toward the bear arm as well.

"What do you want?"

"Meat." Rowan answered immediately. Sera paused.

"How much?" Rowan studied the enormous limb seriously.

"As much as possible." Sera finally gave him a longer look.

"What exactly do you need that much mana-beast meat for?"

"Cultivation."

"What kind of cultivation eats that much?"

"Secret." Sera clicked her tongue softly.

"Fine."

"Once we butcher it tomorrow, I'll have them save you more of the meat." Rowan nodded. Now he was satisfied. With meat from a Three-Phase mana-beast, his physical strength could finally advance another step. At some point, Talia had walked over to the wooden crate. She stopped in front of the cracked gray Sword Token.

"It's completely unusable now?"

"The power inside has been exhausted." Sera said. Talia was quiet for a while.

"I'll explain everything clearly to my grandfather." Sera adjusted the bandage around her leg.

"Just tell him what happened." Talia pressed her lips together.

"I chose the commission myself."

"Antler Camp provided the commission." Sera refastened her leg armor.

"We'll also investigate why the War Antelope attracted the Rock-Marrow Dire Bear after it died."

"If the responsibility belongs to the camp, we won't push it onto you." Hearing that, Rowan suddenly asked:"Who's her grandfather?" Sera paused.

"One of the Free Federation's council representatives." Only then did Rowan remember the name Oswin had mentioned earlier.

"What about Graveblade?"

"Him too." Sera put the cracked Sword Token back into the leather pouch.

"This entire region is under Lord Graveblade's jurisdiction." Rowan finally understood a little more. The granddaughter of one council representative. Nearly dying inside the territory of another council representative. He thought about it.

"That troublesome?" Sera looked at him.

"What do you think?" Not far away. Oswin was confirming the route for tomorrow morning with the guards. Hearing their conversation, he spoke.

"Miss." He still held a half-unfolded map in one hand. Talia turned around. Oswin continued studying the map.

"You can certainly explain things to your grandfather."

"But how this matter is ultimately handled may not depend only on what you think." Talia frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"This happened to you inside Lord Graveblade's jurisdiction." Oswin traced a route across the map with one finger.

"Once we return to Chaos City."

"Your grandfather will find out sooner or later." After saying that. He rolled up the map. Then handed it to the guard beside him.

"We take the eastern route tomorrow morning."

"Avoid the forest area to the west."

"Get some rest in advance tonight." The guard accepted the map and left.... The next day, just after dawn. The sound of wheels rolling once again filled the outer ring of Antler Camp. The covered wagons had all been prepared. The water shell containing Velesa had been secured together with the stretcher inside the smoothest-riding wagon. Rolled-up beast hides and soft grass had been packed around it. Talia sat beside her. Kane placed one foot on the wagon bed. Then suddenly seemed to remember something.

He looked around.

"When is Lowen coming back?" Bren, who was organizing crossbow bolts, raised his head slightly.

"No idea." Kane clicked his tongue.

"When he gets back, tell him."

"He'd better not think he can get away without paying me." Sera was helping butcher the bear arm nearby. She looked back.

"You're still thinking about that gambling debt?" Kane touched the bandage around his wound.

"I'm already down one ear."

"I can't afford to lose money too." Preparations outside were not yet completely finished. The caravan members were conducting one final inventory. The gathering bag Oswin had brought back earlier was also taken out. The mouth of the bag opened. Several pale golden roots protruded from inside. Rowan had only been passing by. But his steps suddenly slowed. At the end of one Goldvein Root. There was a diagonal notch cut into it. Rowan stared for two seconds. It looked familiar. At the edge of his vision.

The AR pulled up a record from several days earlier. The two Goldvein Roots Oswin had taken out before leaving appeared again. One had a diagonal notch at the end. The other had a curved fracture across the middle. Rowan checked the two roots inside the medicinal herb crate again. Both matched. They were from the same batch. Footsteps sounded nearby. Oswin walked over. He bent down. Then tied the gathering bag closed again. The old sword at his waist swayed with the movement. Beneath the hilt.

The faded dark-red sword tassel hung down. Rowan's gaze paused slightly. Another AR record appeared at the edge of his vision. Low shrubs. Branches and leaves that had been pressed down for a long time. And the tiny strand of dark-red fiber caught on a branch. The color was similar. The thickness was about the same too. Then Rowan looked again at the worn and frayed sword tassel hanging beneath Oswin's hilt. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"What is it?" Oswin suddenly asked. Rowan had already looked away.

"Nothing." In the distance. Two camp members were carrying a large slab of freshly butchered bear meat toward them.

"Rowan!"

"Where do you want your share?" Rowan turned his head.

"Beside my workstation."

"All of it?"

"Yeah."

"You have room for that much?"

"I'll make room." They turned and went back to work. Rowan followed. Behind him. Oswin watched Rowan's retreating figure. After several seconds, he turned away. And soon returned to the front of the caravan. The final covered wagon was ready. The wagon carrying Velesa was the first to pass through the wooden gate. Talia sat inside. Before leaving. She leaned her head out past the wagon curtain.

"Sera." Sera stood beside the wooden gate.

"What?" Talia paused.

"When Velesa wakes up."

"I'll come back." Sera waved a hand.

"Get her home first." Talia nodded. Then lowered the curtain. Kane rode on another pack beast. As he passed Bren. He still didn't forget to add:"Don't forget to remind Lowen." Bren gave him an irritated look.

"I know." The caravan slowly left Antler Camp. Wheels rolled across the mud outside. Before long, they entered the forest road. The sound gradually faded. Rowan stood in the outer ring. Watching the final covered wagon disappear behind the trees. At the edge of his vision. The two records still floated silently. Two Goldvein Roots. A tiny strand of dark-red fiber. Taken separately. Neither proved anything. But put together. They became interesting.

Where exactly Oswin had gone over the past few days— Was now worth questioning. Rowan closed the AR interface. There was no way for him to know yet. Back at his workstation. The Rock-Marrow Dire Bear meat that had just been divided had already been delivered. That was what he could actually use right now. For the next while. At least he no longer had to worry about cultivation resources for the Furnace Melding Art.